Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Everyone keep up with me, we will be entering Gan Province tonight and we will spend the night in Bianma County…” Qu Mingcheng turned his head around on the horse and announced loudly while wiping away the sweat on his forehead that had already turned into grains of salt.
“Keep up the pace, keep up the pace…” One after another, the low-ranking officers of the thousand-man cavalry troop shouted. Although there were a lot of people shouting, they still sounded weak and powerless.
The troop set off from Ping’an County of Luyang Prefecture in Yin Province before daybreak and it had been more than twelve hours since then. Although everyone was traveling on a rhinodrake steed and also took breaks in between the journey, most of them were already exhausted, thirsty, and hungry by now. The rhinodrake steeds underneath them were also weary. No matter how hard they whipped to spur their steeds on, their steeds were struggling to stride along as though their hooves were made of lead.
To reach Bianma County in Gan Province by tonight, they still had to travel over a distance of a hundred li after sunset. Just the thought of that alone was enough to make many people in the troop feel defeated. However, this was an emergency and Transport Commissioner Jiang had passed down an absolute order — no one was allowed to complain. Everybody knew that they had been enjoying a good life in Yin Province and could run amuck everywhere they went by relying on the Transportation Office’s reputation. This time, someone in Gan Province was actually bold enough to smash the reputation of the Transportation Office. This was the same as bearding the lion in his den. Hence, their objective of coming to Pingxi County was to let those people who dared to challenge the Transportation Office regret being born into this world no matter what.
Qu Mingcheng also knew what the men in his troop were thinking right now. After he finished the sentence, he immediately added, “The manufacturing bureau is wealthy. As soon as we settle the matter at Pingxi County, the ladies in the town and the women in the Yan Fortress will be for you bastards to have fun with for three days!”
“Yeah…!!” Being told that they could have fun with the women in Pingxi County after they were done finally lifted the men’s spirits. Some of them even howled like wolves. Every time the Patrol Cavalry Battalion dispatched their cavalrymen troop, lots of families were broken, houses were searched, possessions were confiscated, and the locals kept quiet out of fear. This was an extremely lucrative post.
The terrain of the valley ahead seemed quite treacherous. Qu Mingcheng glanced at both sides of the valley and checked the terrains. A thought flashed through his mind, but he mockingly laughed at himself —— who would dare to lay a finger on the Transportation Office’s cavalry within the borders of the Great Han Empire? Even if there were a few bandits, they would probably be too scared to even show their faces since they were outnumbered.
Right when this thought flashed through his head, a strange noise was suddenly heard in that valley. Qu Mingcheng’s face changed immediately as he quickly shouted, “Be careful…!”
He managed to finish his words, but it was too late. As soon as he finished speaking, a terrifying howl rang out and four soldiers fell off their steeds at the same time…
They were all cavalrymen with war bows on their backs.
Everything happened too fast and most of the cavalrymen could not even react in time. Just merely half a second later, the sound of arrows breaking through the air was heard, and this time, another four cavalrymen with war bows on their backs fell from the back of their steeds.
It’s an expert! The thought flashed through Qu Mingcheng’s mind.
The power, speed, and accuracy revealed by the sound of the arrows breaking through the air made Qu Mingcheng shiver. Not to mention, four arrows were being released at the same time. Such archery cultivation vaguely reminded Qu Mingcheng of someone…
However, the current situation did not allow Qu Mingcheng to think too much as in the blink of an eye, another eight cavalrymen fell down. The whole troop was in chaos.
The archer showed himself on top of a hill that was five hundred li away while raining down torrents of deadly arrows. He was wearing black clothing with a sinister-looking bronze mask, so Qu Mingcheng was unable to see his face clearly. However, that ghastly archery skill made Qu Mingcheng feel like no matter how many people he had on their side, all of them would still be shot dead by that man in this valley.
“Over there! Everyone, follow me…!” Qu Mingcheng was drenched in cold sweat. Without even thinking, he led everyone forward.
Under Qu Mingcheng’s command, the troops that were in a pitiful state rushed forward. Even so, the cold, deadly arrows didn’t cease. For every second, four arrows were fired twice. Every arrow was accurate enough to send someone off their rhinodrake steed. There was nowhere to escape, nowhere to hide. Such archery cultivation was enough to strike fear into the Transportation Office’s cavalry on the battlefield.
It took the troops ten seconds to dash forward a hundred li. The one hundred cavalry archers riding at the rear of cavalry were all shot off the backs of their steeds.
Qu Mingcheng’s eyes bulged out of anger. After leading his troops another dozen li forward, Qu Mingcheng shouted, “Continue to push forward!” While commanding this troop to continue moving forward, he drew his iron sword breaker from the saddle and leaped off his steed. Stepping on the steep valley wall, he rushed straight toward the man in black.
“KILL…!” The Transportation Office’s cavalry shouted in the valley as they braced themselves and continued forward.
Luckily, they were only being ambushed by one person…
The thought flashed across Qu Mingcheng’s mind. Within the next second, a scene that made his blood freeze unfolded before his very eyes. On both sides of the hill, two hundred people dressed in black suits suddenly appeared with bows and crossbows in their hands. Arrows suddenly rained on the cavalry in the valley, instantly knocking down a few dozen soldiers.
The battle steeds neighed miserably and the valley was in complete chaos. Even so, the Transportation Office’s cavalry pressed onward.
When the cavalry with swords came across enemies with bows and crossbows, they could only choose to get closer or escape. If they stayed in place, they would become the target of their enemies. So in order to survive, their only option was to move quickly.
However, it did not take long for the Transportation Office’s cavalry to make another horrifying discovery. Over ten burning four-wheeled carriages filled with firewood had been pushed off the hills, effectively blocking the road ahead. In just the blink of an eye, they formed a burning fire wall which completely blocked the path.
Another batch of arrows came pouring down. Again, dozens of people from the Transportation Office’s cavalry were taken down.
“Retreat, retreat…!”
Amidst the chaos, the troops turned their steeds around and found the same scene repeating itself at their escape route. Another ten four-wheeled carriages covered in raging flames came rushing down the hillside, instantly blocking their pathway of retreat…
The man in black was, of course, Yan Liqiang. Even if he had seen Qu Mingcheng charging forward, Yan Liqiang did not put down the bow in his hand. He continued to shoot out eight deadly arrows within a second with the speed and accuracy of a machine that had gone berserk. Among the cavalry, some were low-ranking officers with little cultivation background while some were Martial Warriors and Supreme Martial Warriors. In just the blink of an eye, they were all shot down by Yan Liqiang.
With Yan Liqiang’s bow and the distance between them, the survival rate of those so-called Martial Warriors, Supreme Martial Warriors, and even Martial Master experts were equivalent to ordinary soldiers. Yan Liqiang’s arrows were fast and powerful, something completely beyond their capabilities. Their chances of survival were no more than that of an ordinary person’s or a boxing champion being shot in the head at point blank.
“Yan Liqiang…!” Qu Mingcheng bellowed. He dashed toward Yan Liqiang like a speeding horse against the cliff wall. In just the blink of an eye, the distance between them was only fifty li.
Yan Liqiang once again shot two batches of arrows, and eight more people were killed. Within a second, Qu Mingcheng was only twenty li away from him.
“I knew it was you…” Qu Mingcheng eyes reddened and he was boiling with murderous intent.
The moment Yan Liqiang put down his Horned Python Bow, he reached for the Dragon Spine Steel spear which he had stuck in the ground. He smiled as he looked at Qu Mingcheng who was already in front of him.
“Go to hell!” Qu Mingcheng’s figure was like a legendary roc spreading its wings as he leaped over a few zhang at once, swinging his iron sword breaker at Yan Liqiang.
This was exactly what Yan Liqiang was waiting for — for Qu Mingcheng to make the first move.
In the next second, the Dragon Spine Steel spear that weighed four hundred jin in his hands moved like a furious dragon which had been startled awake. The giant pole was swung directly at Qu Mingcheng without any fancy moves.
The noise it made when it broke through the air was like a summer thunderclap…
